Alsara: Requiem and Revolution

The Dark before the Dawn

Dragonkin

The Dragonkin are the descendants of liaisons with Dragons, and the power of their Dragon blood still flows strong through their veins. Many Dragonkin were created during the Vokayan Uplift and the years that followed, but there are some Dragonkin bloodlines that can trace their lineage all the way back to The Dragon Age. The mixing of Human or Elven blood doesn’t always work out great, though, and the propensity for damaging or even fatal mutations is high among some bloodlines. This leaves Dragonkin with an eclectic mix of strengths and weaknesses inherited from their Draconic lineage, and more often than not a strong desire to prove themselves.

Physical Appearance: Dragonkin are very easy to spot in a crowd. Their bone structure is heavily warped, forming something between a bird, a lizard, and a human. Their skin is usually rough or leathery, and many Dragonkin grow little to no hair on their bodies. Their skin colors are sometimes normal skin tones, but there are some Dragonkin bloodlines with bronze, jet black, dark red, or even green and pale white skin. Their eye and hair colors are equally varied.

Society: Dragonkin do not have a unified culture of origin, but are usually found in either the Empire or the Vokaya, becoming quickly more rare south of the Neck. In Atur and Vokaya, Dragonkin are treated mostly as a regular person with an extra dose of respect. In Vokaya especially, the Royal Family are all Dragonkin, and they are proud of their lineage. This perspective has trickled down to the rest of the culture.

In the Empire, however, they are often distrusted, and sometimes even hated. As a result, they tend to be nomadic, and to seek out the company of other Dragonkin. If several families of Dragonkin should decide to travel together, then they become a tightly-knit group for the duration, often fiercely protective of the community they’ve managed to create.

Relations: It is nearly impossible to know what you’re going to get when interacting with a new Dragonkin. Each one has responded to their Draconic heritage differently, and a given Dragonkin could be an idiot brute, a sickly savant, or a paragon of physical and mental ability. Too often, though, people’s only experience with Dragonkin will be with the simple or the crippled, and they will build a prejudice another Dragonkin must dispel some time in the future. Often violently.

Dragonkin are a curiosity to Humans, as they look even more freakish than the Elves; though this curiosity can often turn sour as the Dragonkin usually lack the Elves’ natural allure. Dragonkin are unnerved by Elves and Half-Elves, as those of Elven descent tend to share Vokaya’s reverence of Dragons. The attention that this attracts is often unwelcome, usually because most Dragonkin fall short of what the Vokayans expect from the child of a Dragon. There is a certain amount of kinship to be found between Dragonkin and Orcs, as they are both pariahs in their own countries, and alien in the eyes of the common man.
As for Halflings…nobody gets along with Halflings. Dragonkin are no different.

Alignment and Religion: Dragonkin are pariahs and outcasts, above or below the commoner, but always apart. This isolation lends them little empathy for their countrymen, and as such most Dragonkin are Chaotic Neutral, or Neutral having learned to serve themselves first in order to survive; in the end, however, it all depends on the individual in question. Many Dragonkin worship the Vokayan Sept (often more rigorously than the Elves, in fact) but more often than not, they are some of the most ardent practitioners of Dragon Worship. A few of these Dragonkin inherit their faith from their lineage, which stretch all the way back to priests from the Dragon Age.

Adventurers: There are more Dragonkin adventurers than there are Dragonkin of any other profession. Their migratory nature makes them ill-suited for work as a soldier, farmer, or craftsman, and their unnerving aspect makes a familiarity with violence a requirement for survival. Any Dragonkin could become an adventurer at any moment, sometimes whether they want to or not.

Special Origin

Dragonkin CaravanTrait Bonus: The character gains +2 to Strength and may select 2 instead of just 1 Natural Weapon abilities during character creation, but suffers a -2 to Charisma.
You grew up living with others of your own kind, a stranger to the world, but possessed of a home that few other Dragonkin can claim to. Your separation from the the outside has left you with more preconceptions than experience with people outside your family, but you have come to accept your draconic heritage.Languages: The Dragonkin begins play speaking Trade and Draconic. If they have a high Intelligence score they can choose from the following bonus languages: Imperial, Steppelander, Eastlandic, Firetongue, High Vokayan, and Low Vokayan.

Statistics

Attributes: +2 to any attribute, -2 to any other attribute. Dragonkin vary wildly in their nature, depending on their bloodlines.

Draconic Hide: Dragonkin skin is not made of metal, like their pureblooded ancestors, but it is a fair bit better than the pliable stuff of other races. Dragonkin gain a +1 Natural Armor bonus to their Armor Class.

Natural Weapons: Dragons are covered in potential weapons, from their teeth, to their claws, to their spiky tails. Dragonkin haven’t inherited all of them, but most carry enough Dragon blood to have at least one part of their body that can kill. During character creation select one of the following abilities:

The Dragonkin has claws that extend from their fingertips. The claws are Natural Weapons that deal Slashing damage based on the character’s Unarmed Attack damage. The character’s Unarmed Attack is treated as though they were one size category larger. The knives on the ends of their fingers make binding the Dragonkin…complicated, granting them a +2 Inherent bonus to Escape Artist checks.

The Dragonkin has very sharp teeth that extend slightly further than normal. They gain a additional Bite attack, which they can use in addition to their normal Unarmed Strike if they are engaged in a Grapple. Their terrifying teeth give them a +2 bonus to Intimidate checks.

The Dragonkin has a prehensile tail. They can make Trip attempts with their tail as though they had the Improved Trip feat, even if they don’t meet the prerequisites. They also gain a +2 Inherent Bonus to Balance checks. However, it should be noted that they can no longer sit comfortably in most chairs.

The Dragonkin has enhanced vision. They gain Low-Light Vision and a +2 bonus to Perception tests.

Bloodborn Senses: Dragonkin are tied to the magic of the world more closely than most, and they can feel Arcana in the air like others can feel heat. Dragonkin can cast detect magic as a supernatural ability unlimited times per day. This functions in a similar fashion to a Paladin’s Detect Evil ability, and as a result Dragonkin are susceptible to being Stunned when entering the presence of an Overwhelming aura.
In addition, Dragonkin will unconsciously cast Detect Magic with a successful Perception check if they enter an area with a Strong or greater aura, not unlike hearing a loud noise or smelling a strong scent.